The grainy nighttime video shows what appears to be a skinny dog roaming downtown Chicago. The
animal is so streetwise that it waits for traffic lights to change before it crosses busy
streets.

But this is no stray dog. It’s a coyote that has lived in the area for years, Ohio State
University researcher Stan Gehrt said during a presentation at the EcoSummit 2012 conference
yesterday.

“Cities, in many cases, are the new environment for conflict between carnivores and us,” said
Gehrt, who has studied urban coyotes for years.His presentation, part of a larger international
discussion on the growing friction between large predators and people, came during the final day of
the conference at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

More than 1,600 ecologists and experts from 76 countries attended the weeklong event.

Also yesterday, Kellen Calinger, an OSU doctoral candidate studying biology, showcased research
showing that climate change is causing wildflowers to bloom early in Ohio.Calinger studied when 141
species of wildflowers had bloomed in Ohio since 1895, a period in which average spring and summer
temperatures increased by 1.7 degrees.

The warmer days led nearly half of those plants to bloom an average of four days earlier than
usual. The changes could create problems for insects and animals that rely on the flowers for food.
Many have their own schedules that are synchronized with food supplies.

One species of invasive thistle bloomed 12.5 days earlier than usual. That raised concerns that
climate change could help invasive plants dominate natural areas and out-compete native
species.

“This could have severe biodiversity implications,” Calinger said.

Gehrt’s talk followed presentations showing that large-predator populations — including those of
bears, mountain lions and wolves — are growing and increasingly are crossing paths with humans.

Jens Karlsson, a researcher with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, showed how an
increase in brown-bear populations in northern Sweden led to increased attacks on reindeer
farms.Adrian Treves, an environmental-studies professor at the University of Wisconsin, shared how
computer-mapping techniques can show where cattle might be vulnerable to wolves.

He estimated that there are 830 wolves in northern Wisconsin, a state that had none 30 years
ago.

Gehrt said the growing presence of urban coyotes and the spread of even-larger predators,
including wolves and mountain lions, will create problems.Although coyotes are mostly tolerated in
the Chicago area, he said larger predators will start a new debate.“The wolves are coming. You’ve
seen the growth in Wisconsin,” he said. “It’s a question of how tolerant are we going to be in
terms of letting these carnivores live near us.”Gehrt also showed a photo taken in Wisconsin of a
mountain lion. In a release, he said a mountain lion was shot near the Wrigleyville neighborhood of
Chicago.Conference organizers announced that the next EcoSummit will be held in Montpellier,
France, in 2016.